The Official Review Thread of 2013

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anonymous1980
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2013

Post by anonymous1980 »

FROZEN
Cast: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Santino Fontana, Ciaran Hinds, Alan Tudyk, Chris Williams (voices).
Dirs: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee.

Is it the best animated musical from Disney since Beauty and the Beast? Hmmm. I don't know. Not quite but very, very close. I liked The Princess and The Frog and Tangled very much myself and this is probably the best among them. Part of that reason is the mostly very strong song score courtesy of Robert Lopez and his wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez which contain quite a few sly references from Disney songs and musical theater songs of the past. Another thing that surprised me is that it is nowhere near as snarky as the trailers suggest, it's actually a very sweet and moving look at the relationship between two sisters that genuinely moved me. Add to that beautiful animation and a great voice cast and it's probably the best mainstream Hollywood animated film of 2013. The cold never bothered me anyway.

Oscar Prospects: A front-runner for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song ("Let It Go") for sure. Could get in Sound Mixing and Sound Editing.

Grade: A-
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2013

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The Original BJ wrote:
Greg wrote:
The Original BJ wrote:I assume "Let It Go" will still be a pretty easy Oscar nominee -- it's the one song in the movie that I came out humming, and Disney has been pushing it heavily. It could even be the Best Song winner, given that it's hard to come up with anything else so far released that seems like much of an option.
What about Lana Del Rey's "Young And Beautiful" from The Great Gatsby?
You know, people keep listing that one, and I don't doubt that it's a likely nominee (see: no options), but I didn't even remember it in the movie and I still can't recall any of it even after listening to it more recently on YouTube (which I did because people keep touting it). It doesn't strike me as the kind of thing that goes all the way to a win, but lots of people are saying it could, so I guess it would also have to be considered.

Personally, I'm holding out hope for the Inside Llewyn Davis number.
I'm half-with you and half-not: I, too, couldn't remember the song from The Great Gatsby...but when I played the YouTube, I thought, OK, it does have a hook.

What about the Karen O song that's in the trailer for Her? Are we just assuming it will cool its way to elimination?
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2013

Post by Greg »

The Original BJ wrote:I believe the original song in the movie is called "Please, Mr. Kennedy."
Just listened to it on YouTube. Quirky, but a lot of fun.
The Original BJ
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2013

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Greg wrote:
The Original BJ wrote:Personally, I'm holding out hope for the Inside Llewyn Davis number.
Do you mean "Fare The Well (Dink's Song)"? I think it could well be nominated, but, after listening to it on YouTube, it strikes me as being a little too low key to win.
I believe the original song in the movie is called "Please, Mr. Kennedy."
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2013

Post by Greg »

The Original BJ wrote:Personally, I'm holding out hope for the Inside Llewyn Davis number.
Do you mean "Fare The Well (Dink's Song)"? I think it could well be nominated, but, after listening to it on YouTube, it strikes me as being a little too low key to win.
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2013

Post by The Original BJ »

Greg wrote:
The Original BJ wrote:I assume "Let It Go" will still be a pretty easy Oscar nominee -- it's the one song in the movie that I came out humming, and Disney has been pushing it heavily. It could even be the Best Song winner, given that it's hard to come up with anything else so far released that seems like much of an option.
What about Lana Del Rey's "Young And Beautiful" from The Great Gatsby?
You know, people keep listing that one, and I don't doubt that it's a likely nominee (see: no options), but I didn't even remember it in the movie and I still can't recall any of it even after listening to it more recently on YouTube (which I did because people keep touting it). It doesn't strike me as the kind of thing that goes all the way to a win, but lots of people are saying it could, so I guess it would also have to be considered.

Personally, I'm holding out hope for the Inside Llewyn Davis number.
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2013

Post by Greg »

The Original BJ wrote:I assume "Let It Go" will still be a pretty easy Oscar nominee -- it's the one song in the movie that I came out humming, and Disney has been pushing it heavily. It could even be the Best Song winner, given that it's hard to come up with anything else so far released that seems like much of an option.
What about Lana Del Rey's "Young And Beautiful" from The Great Gatsby?
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2013

Post by The Original BJ »

I know Frozen has been viewed by many as the film that will come along to save the Animated Feature race, but I was fairly disappointed by it. Frozen may still very well prevail as the victor -- it may seem more fresh than a Pixar sequel, and will obviously be a bigger hit than Miyazki's latest -- but I bet most people would still lament they couldn't choose one of last year's also-rans than anything this year.

I did think the animation was impressive, and the animators have a field day with images of snow palaces, ice sculptures, and all of the other intricately designed environs of the kingdom of Arendelle. The movie doesn't break ground in this department -- it doesn't feel like we're being transported to a visual world we've never seen before, as Wreck-It-Ralph and some of the Pixar films have done -- but the visuals are eye-catching throughout, and some of the camera work (like an early tracking shot that establishes a bunch of characters) has an energy to it.

The plot, though, is another matter entirely. It's not the worst thing in the world that the movie makes no explanation for why Elsa has her blizzardy powers. And yet, the movie COULD have worked out a clever plot element to explain it, and the fact that it doesn't is pretty emblematic of a film that consistently rejects opportunities to imbue its story with the pleasures of a well-structured narrative. (Maybe it's the fact that both roles were played by Idina Menzel that made me think of this, but in Wicked, the reason for Elphaba's affliction is explained in the opening number...as the set-up to a big plot reveal near story's end. There's no such cleverness with Elsa here.) The script also isn't very clear about exactly WHAT Elsa's issue is -- she makes everything snowy when she can't control her emotion? Or whenever she has her gloves off? Or...whenever it's convenient for the plot? The incident which sets off the main chunk of the narrative also struck me as pretty ridiculous -- Elsa's sister Anna falls in love at first sight, and decides she wants to marry a prince she has known for all of a minute. (Raise your hand if you think this 2013 movie will end with this couple married. Anyone? No?) True, the movie admirably subverts this notion as the story goes on, with the other major male character ridiculing her flights of fancy, and a conclusion that celebrates the bonds of sisterhood more than matrimony. But that doesn't make it any more believable as a plot point, even in a fantasy-land like this.

And I can't say I thought the narrative significantly improved once we got to the series of adventures the characters get in to save/capture Elsa, now off on a mountaintop in an ice palace of her own creation. As far as animated villains go, the one in Frozen has to rank as about the most lackluster in recent memory, which zaps the story of both a sense of danger AND the wicked fun these characters usually provide. And I think my least favorite narrative turn happened at the climax -- I tend to get really annoyed in stories with elements of fantasy when a problem that characters have had FOR THE ENTIRE MOVIE is solved when someone makes something fantastical happen that solves everything with zero explanation for what they did, why it worked in this moment, and why no one was able to do that before. This kind of storytelling is lazy with a capital L, and after Wreck-It-Ralph -- which I found to be a rather terrifically well-plotted movie with consistent narrative surprises -- I was quite disappointed that Frozen had so little life to it.

Another big element of disappointment -- the songs. I've been a fan of Bobby Lopez's Broadway work, and felt that his skill with crowd-pleasing yet skillfully crafted musical melodies would make him a perfect match for a Disney animated musical. (The Book of Mormon's "Sal Tlay Ka Siti" is practically the best Alan Menken ballad Menken never wrote.) And so I was shocked as one lackluster musical number after another came along, some of which feel so half-hearted I wondered why anyone even bothered with songs to begin with. I assume "Let It Go" will still be a pretty easy Oscar nominee -- it's the one song in the movie that I came out humming, and Disney has been pushing it heavily. It could even be the Best Song winner, given that it's hard to come up with anything else so far released that seems like much of an option. But even if it were to go that far, I imagine it would be more a case of "best performed song" (obviously Idina Menzel can knock a power ballad like this out of the park) than "best written song" (its Top 40-style chord progression isn't a patch on any of the Disney ballads that won in the '90's). [EDIT: I forgot "You'll Be in My Heart" won. This is about on par with that.]

I don't want to make it sound like the movie's horrible or anything, as I wasn't miserable watching it. But when most elements of a film have me thinking "this could be done better," it's hard to muster up a lot of enthusiasm.
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2013

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THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Sam Claflin, Lynn Cohen, Toby Jones, Willow Shields, Jena Malone, Amanda Plummer.
Dir: Francis Lawrence.

I liked the first Hunger Games just fine. It didn't make me want to read the books but I enjoyed it mostly due to Jennifer Lawrence's terrific performance. But this one. Oh, boy. Had the first one been as good as this, I would have bought and read all of it. Coming into this largely not knowing what's going to happen, I thought it was absolutely terrific. Jennifer Lawrence is fantastic but she is complimented by a very strong supporting cast who ALMOST steal the show. The film is also very well-paced. Even though it's almost 2.5 hours long, it just breezed by. NOW, I fully and completely get why The Hunger Games is so popular.

Oscar Prospects: Costume Design is a strong possibility. Art Direction, Sound Mixing and Sound Editing are not out of the question. I wouldn't mind a Best Actress nom for Jennifer Lawrence. I think she's better here than in Silver Linings Playbook.

Grade: B+
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2013

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THE COUNSELOR
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem, Brad Pitt, Rosie Perez, Ruben Blades, Goran Visnjic, Natalie Dormer, Edgar Ramirez.
Dir: Ridley Scott.

I'm guessing my low expectations made me like this film more than I should but yeah, I did. I think the film's huge expectations: The combination of an acclaimed cast, the debut screenplay of Cormac McCarthy, a great novelist and of course to a lesser extent Ridley Scott (who's been hit & miss). I love Cormac McCarthy and his style is prevalent throughout this film but it fails to translate cinematically. The film is often hard to follow and goes on tangents that would work in a novel but NOT a screenplay. That said, the film looks great and the cast delivers. My favorite performance is, surprisingly, Cameron Diaz's who gives her best performance since Being John Malkovich.. It's a deeply flawed, rather unsatisfactory film but not awful.

Oscar Prospects: Personally, I wouldn't mind a Supporting Actress nom for Diaz but the very mixed reviews of the film will not let it happen.

Grade: C+
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2013

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THOR: THE DARK WORLD
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgaard, Rene Russo, Christopher Eccleston, Idris Elba, Jaimie Alexander, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, Tadanobu Asano, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Chris O'Dowd, Alice Krige, Jonathan Howard.
Dir: Alan Taylor.

This is not a bad film. But it's not a particularly GREAT one either. That said, if you enjoyed the first one, there's no reason for you not to like this one. Thor is back saving the world (no, the UNIVERSE) again and CGI monsters and FX assault our senses. The film lacks the sense of humor of the first one but it does have one great joke that's almost worth the price of admission. There's nothing here that we haven't seen before but it does have a few nifty moments that makes this worthwhile viewing. It's inoffensive fluff.

Oscar Prospects: Makeup, Visual Effects, Sound Mixing and Sound Editing are possible.

Grade: B-
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2013

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THE FAMILY
Cast: Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfieffer, Tommy Lee Jones, Dianna Agron, John D'Leo, Jimmy Palumbo, Dominic Lombardozzi, Vincent Pastore.
Dir: Luc Besson.

The terrific, fun performances of the main four cast members playing the title characters (Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfieffer, Dianna Agron, John D'Leo) makes this film not a complete waste of time and somewhat watchable. The film is all over the place. Mixing genre elements is tricky (brutal mob action and broad comedy) and Luc Besson isn't very good at it. It gets better in the third act (which includes a clever meta gag) but it's not enough to elevate the film. That said, the performances of the four actors are fun to watch since they have actual chemistry. If only there was a better movie built around them.

Oscar Prospects: None.

Grade: C.
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2013

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CARRIE
Cast: Chloe Grace Moretz, Julianne Moore, Judy Greer, Portia Doubleday, Gabriella Wilde, Steve Russell, Ansel Elgort, Barry Shabaka Henley.
Dir: Kimberly Peirce.

I think this film would've been more acclaimed and I probably would have liked it more if this was the first film version of Stephen King's novel. But alas, this film stands in the spectre of Brian De Palma's widely revered 1976 horror classic which I consider one of my favorite horror films of all time. Technically, this is not a bad film at all. It's well made and well acted. But apart from updating it to reflect contemporary times (cell phones, internet, etc.) and a few other differences here and there, the film didn't do enough things differently or say anything particularly new to justify it being made again. I expressed concerns over Chloe Moretz being cast as Carrie since I find her a bit too beautiful and confident to play such a character. Sadly, I was right. Though Moretz's acting is faultless, her physical appearance and overall persona distracted me from buying her as a shy vulnerable outcast. It's fine but you're better off watching the classic 1976 version.

Oscar Prospects: None.

Grade: C+
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2013

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PASSION
Cast: Rachel McAdams, Noomi Rapace, Karoline Herforth, Paul Anderson, Rainer Bock, Benjamin Sadler.
Dir: Brian De Palma.

Like many cinephiles, I'm a huge fan of director Brian De Palma, up to and including many of his later works which a lot of mainstream critics tend to give mixed to negative reviews to. I was hoping this would be again the case here but alas. This film pretty much harkens back to De Palma's erotic thrillers from the 1980's. This is a woman-centric look into the backstabbing nature of the corporate world. Think Showgirls but instead of Vegas, it's in shiny office buildings. It borders on camp but not quite to make it great. The third act goes crazy in the way that's very De Palma but a lot of it are stuff he has done before and done better in other films so he's sadly repeating himself and not in a particularly great way. This is a weak, disappointing effort from a great filmmaker.

Oscar Prospects: None.

Grade: C-
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Re: The Official Review Thread of 2013

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CAPTAIN PHILLIPS
Cast: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed, Mahat M. Ali, Michael Chernus, Chris Mulkey, Yul Vazquez, David Warhofsky, Corey Johnson, Max Martini, Catherine Keener.
Dir: Paul Greengrass.

Despite the fact that I already knew the ending, having heard about this story AS IT HAPPENED, just like what he managed to do with United 93, director Paul Greengrass managed to mine a lot of suspense out of it and crafted a real edge-of-your-seat thriller. Tom Hanks also gives one of the best performances he has ever given in quite a while. One of my fears about this film is that the Somali pirates will be portrayed as cartoony villains. But to my surprise, the film treated them fairly, humanizing them and making the audience understand why they are doing this without glamorizing or justifying their actions. A huge chunk of the credit must go to newcomer Barkhad Abdi who creates a memorable human character. I know about the charges of inaccuracies but frankly, I'm just judging as a film. It's not a documentary.

Oscar Prospects: This will probably get Zero Dark Thirty'ed once awards season is in full swing but it's a contender for Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing, Original Score, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Cinematography.

Grade: B+
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